The '''[[Arizona Secretary of State]] election of 2010''' was held on [[November 2, 2010 election results|November 2, 2010]]. Incumbent [[Ken Bennett]], former President of the [[Arizona State Senate]], was appointed to the statewide position of [[Arizona Secretary of State|secretary of state]] in January 2009 by exiting officer holder [[Jan Brewer]]. <ref>[http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/01/09/20090109sos-appointment0109-ON.html ''AZ Central'' "Brewer picks Ken Bennett for sec. of state" 9 Jan. 2009]</ref> Brewer had ascended to the gubernatorial office following the resignation of [[Janet Napolitano]], who would go on to head the federal Department of Homeland Security.

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The '''[[Arizona Secretary of State]] election of 2010''' was held on [[November 2, 2010 election results|November 2, 2010]]. Incumbent [[Ken Bennett]], former President of the [[Arizona State Senate]], was appointed to the statewide position of [[Arizona Secretary of State|secretary of state]] in January 2009 by exiting officer holder [[Jan Brewer]].<ref>[http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/01/09/20090109sos-appointment0109-ON.html ''AZ Central'' "Brewer picks Ken Bennett for sec. of state" 9 Jan. 2009]</ref> Brewer had ascended to the gubernatorial office following the resignation of [[Janet Napolitano]], who would go on to head the federal Department of Homeland Security.

Bennett ran unopposed in the Republican primary election. On the other side of the ticket, [[Democratic]] state Representative [[Christopher Deschene]] beat former Arizona Real Estate Commissioner [[Sam Wercinski]], but fell to Bennett in November. Originally on the ballot, [[Green Party]] candidate Michelle Lochmann withdrew from the race in September.

Bennett ran unopposed in the Republican primary election. On the other side of the ticket, [[Democratic]] state Representative [[Christopher Deschene]] beat former Arizona Real Estate Commissioner [[Sam Wercinski]], but fell to Bennett in November. Originally on the ballot, [[Green Party]] candidate Michelle Lochmann withdrew from the race in September.

Several incumbent secretaries of state chose not to run for re-election, in most cases because they ran for a different office. In mid-November 2009, it was estimated that 5 incumbent secretaries of state who could run again (three Democrats and two Republicans) voluntarily choose not to seek re-election. Three months later, however, only the three Democrats remained on the list as both of the Republicans (Karen Handel of Georgia and Ron Thornburgh of Kansas) resigned from office resulting in the governor from each of the respective states having to appoint a replacement; both appointees in these instances were already candidates seeking the statewide office in November.

Election outcome predictions

With a week left until the 2010 midterm elections, Ballotpedia made its predictions regarding the twenty-six Secretary of State contests, believing that Republicans would win 17 of these races while the Democrats would walk away with 9. Additionally, Ballotpedia also contended that of these eighteen elections the Republican Party was projected to win, 6 of them - Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, New Mexico, and Ohio - will have been offices that were previously in possession of the Democrats.

The incumbent SOS of Texas was Hope Andrade (R). She was appointed by GovernorRick Perry and sworn into office on July 23, 2008, succeeding Phil Wilson, who resigned to "pursue other opportunities." [2] Hope was the sixth individual and the second woman to have served in this position since Perry assumed the governorship in December 2000. Perry was widely expected to win re-election in the state's 2010 gubernatorial election, so the position was considered likely to remain Republican.

Each of the other 3 states - Maine, New Hampshire, and Tennessee - had their legislature appoint an individual to the statewide position and all of them were up for election in 2010.

Both houses of the New Hampshire State Legislature were deemed "toss-ups" going into Election Day. And while the incumbent SOS, William Gardner, had held the office under both Democratic and Republican assemblies, there was still a possibility this could have changed if the GOP gained a majority.

Post-Election Analysis

After the dust had settled following the inauguration of new state officials at the start of the new year, the party affiliation of only two secretaries of state that were considered likely to change for reasons other than the direct popular election of new public officials occurred:

The one post-election political affiliation change that did occur, which had not been anticipated, was the resignation of RepublicanKentucky Secretary of State, Trey Grayson. Grayson, who lost the RepublicanUnited States Senate nomination against Rand Paul earlier in the year, had stated before the start of the new year that he did not intend to seek re-election to his statewide public position when it would come up for election in November 2011. However, he surprisingly chose to leave office several months earlier after he had been hired to serve as director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard University. DemocraticGovernorSteve Beshear selected a Democrat, Bowling Green Mayor Elaine Walker, to replace him. [5] Walker stated that she intended to seek public election to the office in November 2011.

Bennett ran unopposed in the Republican primary election. On the other side of the ticket, Democratic state Representative Christopher Deschene beat former Arizona Real Estate Commissioner Sam Wercinski, but fell to Bennett in November. Originally on the ballot, Green Party candidate Michelle Lochmann withdrew from the race in September.

In the Democratic primary election on May 18, Pulaski County Clerk Pat O'Brien beat out Commissioner of State Lands Mark Wilcox and Sebastian County Clerk Doris Tate, but did not capture the requisite majority of the vote to clinch his spot on the November ballot. The results forced a primary runoff election between O'Brien and Wilcox, and though O'Brien won 61.58% of the vote and the endorsement of the Democratic party, he fell to Republican State Repsesentative Mark Martin, who was unopposed in the primary contest.

Her Republican challenger, Damon Dunn, earned his spot on the November ballot by defeating Orly Taitz and write-in candidate Roy V. Allmond, Jr. in the June 8 primary. He had a strong showing in the general election, garnering 38.2% of the vote. The remainder of the vote was split between third-party candidates Ann Menasche, Christina Tobin, Marylou Cabral, and Merton D. Short.

American Independent

Merton Short

Peace and Freedom

Marylou Cabral

Drop Outs

Republicans

California State Assemblywoman for the 37th Congressional District, Audra Strickland, had filed paperwork in January 2009 to start raising money to run for Secretary of State in 2010, but as of November 2009 decided to run for treasurer of Ventura County instead. [14][15]

Republican

Green Party

S. Michael "Mike" DeRosa

Libertarian

Ken Mosher

Independent

Michael Telesca

Drop outs

Republicans

Hartford attorney Corey Brinson, who had announced his candidacy on June 29, 2009, withdrew his name from consideration a little under a year later and endorsed Farrell for the statewide position. [28][29]

Incumbent RepublicanKaren Handel announced in March 2009 that she was officially entering the governor's race in her home state.[33]Brian Kemp, a former state senator who had already announced his candidacy for the statewide office, was appointed Secretary of State by RepublicanGovernorSonny Perdue in January 2010 to fill the vacancy left behind by when Handel formally resigned to work full time on her gubernatorial campaign. [34][35]

In the primary election on July 20, Kemp defeated Doug MacGinnitie, commissioner of the Sandy Springs City Council, earning the Republican nomination for the general election. Libertarian David Chastain was unopposed in his party's primary. On the Democratic ticket, five candidates competed for the party's nomination: former state senator Gail Buckner, former member of the Georgia House of RepresentativesGeorganna Sinkfield, small business owner Angela Moore, president of the non-profit PR 1776 Michael Mills, and Gary Horlacher, a partner with the largest certified minority-owner law firm in the country, Adorno & Yoss. Buckner garnered 35.1% of the votes in the Democratic primary, but needed more than 50% to secure her party's nomination. She and Sinkfield (the runner-up, with 22.6% of the vote) went head-to-head in a primary runoff contest on August 10, and Sinkfield won that contest with 61.8%, securing the Democratic nomination.

In November, Kemp was re-elected to his seat for a full term. Chastain claimed 4.2% of the vote, and despite her success in the primary runoff, Sinkfield fell short with 39.4% of the vote.

Neither White nor Enriquez was opposed in the primary election on February 2, and Hanson did not appear on the ballot. There was another third-party candidate, Adrian Frost (Green Party) in the primary election, but the 0.33% of the vote he won was not enough to earn a spot on the ballot in the November general election.

In Indiana, candidates for secretary of state are nominated either by party conventions or by petition; this office does not appear on the ballot in the state's primary election. Minor Party status and accompanying ballot access is secured for the candidates respective parties by securing between 2% and 10% of the vote for Secretary of State. [44]

Iowa's primary elections were held on June 8. Mauro was unopposed in the race, but Schultz faced former state representative George Eichhorn and small business owner Chris Sanger in the Republican primary. Schultz secured his spot on the ballot in November, and went on to defeat Mauro with 49.8% of the vote.

In the general election in November, Kobach and Biggs were met by Libertarian Phillip Horatio Lucas and Reform Party candidate Derek Langseth. With 59% of the vote, Kobach unseated Biggs, who received 37.2% of the vote, while Lucas and Langseth claimed 2.0% and 1.6%, respectively.

DemocratJocelyn Benson and RepublicanRuth Johnson were both nominated by their respective parties at their fall state conventions. The two were joined by in the general election by three third-party candidates: John LaPietra (Green Party), Robert Gale (U.S. Taxpayers Party), and Scotty Boman (Libertarian). Ultimately, Johnson won the seat with 50.7% of the vote.

In the primary election on August 10, Ritchie defeated Richard "Dick" Franson, a former Alderman in the 12th Ward of Minneapolis and retired 1st Sergeant in the U.S. Army. Neither Severson nor Carlson was not opposed in the primary election.

Republican

Democrat

State term limit laws prevented incumbent Chris Nelson from running for a third term in office. He was a candidate for South Dakota's at-large seat in the United States House of Representatives in 2010, but fell to Kristi Noem in the Republican primary election.[92] Following state conventions held by both major political parties in the last weekend of June, state senators Ben Nesselhuf (Democrat) and Jason Gant (Republican) received the endorsement from their respective parties. Gant and Nesselhul were joined in the general election by Constitution Party candidate Lori Stacey as the three competed for the seat vacated by incumbent RepublicanChris Nelson.

Candidates for this office are nominated at the state conventions of each political party, and therefore do not appear on the ballot in the primary election.